None of the members seem to have taken their duties seriously. Their only preoccupation seems to hav been to see that they were paid their salaries, $600 per mensem, at due date. Otherwise, they have shared the general opinion that the conference has been a burlesque, the reason for which was to provide some sort of gesture to cover the extra-legal aspect of the Provisional Government. It was left to the Fengti ting,. the Fengtien Chief of Staff, intimated that he would not return to. Peki ing more pressing. Dudiness in hand, and it was then [found that it would be impossible to secure n quorum for another meeting. 4 hhas'heen the most pressing question before the officials of the Conference—the securing of a quorum. For the first two or three meetings, all the speeches from the representatives of the Government were concerned with that necessity. 'Marshal Tuan himself appealed to the members to earn their salaries by putting in an attendance, and tried to invest the gathering' with dignity by closing the.streets to traffic during the time he took to go to and from the Conference hhall. Unfortunately, he had often. to wait for the delegates to assemble, in one case over three-quarters of fan hour, and dignity was therefore: somewhat at a discount, The Unfathomable Bog So, the Conference proceeded on its leisurely way. The business before the delegates was concerned with the adjustment of immediate military problems and the consideration of the regulations: for convoking the Citizens' Conference. Tt seemed a simple agenda, if one did not take into considers tion the existing morass throughout {the country, militarily and financially. The Conference had 50 days which to tackle these all-important questions, and it never got beyond the discussion of forms of} procedure. It is true, various bills Jwere presenta by the responsible, Ministries, bat there was generally. something about them, not in them, to cavil at, and even the Provisional Chief Executive's memoranda were constantly referred back for further inforniation, In regard to the financial situation, the. conference has been absolutely "barren of result. No mention has been made of any dis-jon of proposals by the Minister of Finaree, and the memorandum peo-tinted Feng Vu-huang are trying to balance euch lof the Comniission for the Héndjus ment of Finance has still to be submitted. The only concrete. fact) connected with the financial side of its labours is that a considerable rum of money has been added to the current administrative expenses of the Government, in the form of] the salaries of the delegates.
Soldiers Decline an Armintice Several members of the Conference took the proper attitude that it] was idle to go into questions of military adjustment while the military leaders were themselves engaged fu this task, with much more chance of success. All appeals for armistices fell on deaf ears. The Haman trouble occurred after military, problems had been tabled for: Jconsideration; but both warring parties ignored the opinion of the Cofiference, and even the direct appel)' of the Provisional Chief Executive. Thus, the militarists actively contributed to the burlesque! in Peking. They went on fighting, arid allowed the conference {0 take jan'academie interest in the issue.
'Some progress was made in the drawing up of regulations govern. ing the convocation of the Citizent Conference. On receipt drift from the Law Codification' office, the delegates actually gave their' agreement in principle, but [definitive agreement seems to' have been postponed until after the recess. In. the opinion of some observers, it was quite safe to leave the: Citizens' Conference to future consideration, for there is not much. ichanee,.in the present atmosphere, of calling it together, even when the' rexilations have been endorsed, tang Host he burlesque has been played with the assistance of the delegates, but they are not responsible for it 'They faced the circumstances, and said that it was intended only thet thei should take part in what one them. described as. a "talking shop." Why should they not partic, spade' when' the talking wae paid fort That was the altitude some of tic adopted. It was the Gov fernment's intention to. inveigi she, Kuomintang into. thie talon icp, but altboush it euccceded ie
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.